Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, President of Caritas Internationalis, was presented with an award by the Peruvian Government in recognition of his work to help the victims of Peru’s 2007 earthquake in which over 500 people died and over 100,000 were made homeless.

 “I am honoured to receive the award of ‘El Sol del Perù’ on behalf of Caritas Internationalis,”  said Cardinal Rodríguez, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa in Honduras. “It highlights the importance of the work of Caritas, which acts as a beacon of hope to millions of men, women and children in times of disaster and difficulty.”

Cardinal Rodríguez  visited Caritas Peru last year to show solidarity with survivors after a 8-magnitude earthquake levelled the coastal town of Pisco and destroyed homes in the surrounding region on August 15 2007.

Caritas Peru made an appeal for US$11 million and initially helped over 55,000 families by providing food, water, tents, medicine, blankets, clothing, mattresses, hygiene kits, and cooking sets. Caritas Peru also provided medical help and counselling to those affected by the disaster.

“I was very impressed with the quick and effective response of Caritas on the ground. It offered help – but more importantly hope – to people whose lives had been turned upside-down,” said Cardinal Rodríguez.

The order of “El Sol del Perù” was given to Cardinal Rodríguez by the Peruvian Ambassador to the Holy See, Alfonso Rivero Monsalve on 27 May at the Peruvian Embassy to the Holy See in Rome.

For more information, please contact Caritas International Head of Communications Patrick Nicholson Patrick Nicholson on 0039 06 69879725 or 0039 3343590700 or nicholson@caritas.va